5 Everyday Beers That Don't Suck

As much as we love geeking out over yuzu-infused IPAs and sours from the newest Tasmanian gypsy brewer, we realize that such behavior can be insufferable to those who believe that beer need only be cold and copious. We also understand that not every bar is going to have 40 taps of small-batch ales at the ready, and sometimes you’ve got to go to a regular-ass bar and work with what you’re offered.

It’s important to remember that between Bud and barrel-aged stouts, there’s a whole world of brews out there, and the best of them can bring us together—the connoisseur won’t feel like he’s slumming it, and Joe Blow across the bar won’t feel like he’s drinking an experiment.

Herewith, we present the five ultimate bridge beers: Everyman brews with legitimate nerd appeal. These pours are all about balance, consistency, and heritage—three qualities that can easily get lost in the craft-brewer arms race to create the most insane beer ever made.

As much as we love geeking out over yuzu-infused IPAs and sours from the newest Tasmanian gypsy brewer, we realize that such behavior can be insufferable to those who believe that beer need only be cold and copious. We also understand that not every bar is going to have 40 taps of small-batch ales at the ready, and sometimes you’ve got to go to a regular-ass bar and work with what you’re offered.
It’s important to remember that between Bud and barrel-aged stouts, there’s a whole world of brews out there, and the best of them can bring us together—the connoisseur won’t feel like he’s slumming it, and Joe Blow across the bar won’t feel like he’s drinking an experiment.
Herewith, we present the five ultimate bridge beers: Everyman brews with legitimate nerd appeal. These pours are all about balance, consistency, and heritage—three qualities that can easily get lost in the craft-brewer arms race to create the most insane beer ever made.

Dos Equis Amber

The fact that the “Most Interesting Man” in the world tells you to drink Dos Equis would seem to be a sure sign that the brewery doesn’t actually make interesting beers. But talk to any craft brewers who make European-style lagers, and they’ll probably tell you that Dos Equis Amber is the truth. Here’s why: Late in the nineteenth century, Austrian immigrants brought the Vienna lager with them to Mexico. The style—subtle, crisp, just a bit sweet—is increasingly rare these days, but it remains the most common type of cerveza South of the Border. Dos Equis makes the standard-bearer, and they deserve props for getting it right and not messing with the recipe. At very least, it’s a good alternative to a frozen marg served out of a plastic cactus.

Anchor Steam

Before new-school craft brewers started flipping creative hybrid styles like black IPAs and bourbon stouts, American was caught in an old-world holding pattern, basically just recycling recipes from Germany and England. One of the first real stateside creations to break out of the pack was the steam beer, a sort of lager-ale hybrid invented and popularized in California during the mid-19th century. You’ll see these beers revived today under the name California Common, but almost all examples of the style are just pretenders to the throne of the malty and effervescent Anchor Steam. It’s ubiquitous in its hometown of San Francisco—nothing beats a mug of the stuff to wash down the brine at Swan Oyster Depot—but you’ll find bottles behind the bar at plenty of no-frills spots across the country. Knock it back confidently, knowing you’re repping a true American classic.

Old Speckled Hen

Along with Boddington’s, Old Speckled Hen is the most common British ale to colonize American barroom taps—particularly super average faux-English and Irish pubs. It doesn’t quite have the pedigree of London Pride, but when you’re in the mood for lush, toasty malts instead of piss-water or whatever cut-rate IPA the bar is serving, this standby is a more-than-acceptable session beer to get busy with for an evening.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

From the supermarket to the corner bar, Sierra Nevada’s flagship brew can be found just about everywhere. Recently, the trailblazing Chico, California brewery seems to be moving the excellent Torpedo Extra IPA to the forefront of its portfolio, but the classic pale ale remains untouchable: hoppy enough to satisfy beer nerds, yet drinkable enough to not alienate the casual boozer. Since most bodegas and gas stations keep it in stock, you can always bring a last-minute sixer to a party without fear of looking like a schmohawk.

Guinness Extra Stout

While we'll definitely drink it with the lads on St. Patrick's Day, the draught Guinness that you see at the bar is a shadow of its former self, watered-down by the demands mass production. People get very passionate about the different types of Guinness, but in our humble opinion the Extra Stout is the way to go when you see it next to the regular cans at the store, as it's got a higher ABV and more robust malt character. (It's also descended directly from the original porter that morphed into Guinness stout over the years, so the heritage is well intact.) Even better is the more formidable—but less widely available—Guinness Foreign Extra, which returned to U.S. shores in 2011 for the first time since before Prohibition. A higher alcohol content and extra hops historically helped the stout keep during long journeys from Dublin; today, those practical tweaks to the recipe make for beer-nerd manna, dialing up the brew’s complexity and drawing out its roasted malts and bittersweet finish.

Empellon

Alex Stupak hired me to come shoot at his two restaurants, Empellón Taqueria and Empellón Cocina. The food he prepares is gorgeous and his wife, Lauren Resler, handles all the desserts, like the one shown here. The colors and plating of everything make shooting it a pleasure. Part of good photography is well-prepared, beautiful food that's expertly plated. Of course, the other part is me being a badass photographer. Did I just say that?

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